Snow wanted as fire season runs late

RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) - People in southern New Mexico are hoping to get some moisture with the weekend storm.

It is so dry in some parts, emergency managers are bracing themselves for more potential wildfires and enforcing a ban on outside fires at least through the weekend.   

Five months after the massive Little Bear Fire scorched more than 44,000 acres and razed more than 240 homes in the Lincoln National Forest, the area is a lot cooler.  But the threat of another blaze still exists.

"We're always active here during fire season, but right now it looks like we're going to have a late fire season also, so we're getting ready for round two," said Travis Atwell, Lincoln County director of emergency services.

Atwell said it's going to be years before the area can recover from the drought. He said recovery efforts since the fire succeeded with some new vegetation although it can become fuel when mixed with continued dry conditions and high winds.  
     
An outside burn ban is in effect through Sunday in Lincoln County, while officials hope to see some much-needed wet weather.

"If we do get the moisture, we've got the flood potential for the next 5-10 years, so I mean we bounce back and forth -- wildfire, flood, wildfire, flood," explained Atwell. "If it snows, we could have avalanches."

Still, Atwell said any moisture right now is better than nothing. Lincoln County officials said they haven't gone this late into the season with little to no moisture in years.

Usually the mountains would have seen their first snow by now. So what does that mean for this year's ski season?

"Mother Nature, you can never count her out, because she may come in and just hit us hard," said Justin Rowland, director of operations for Ski Apache.

This time last year, Ski Apache was slammed with snow opening day. Currently, they're building three new lifts, after the fire burned through 60 acres there. Workers were able to save the other 690 skiiable acres.

"We used the snow-gun lines up on Chino, Meadows, Moonshine to try and hold the fire back, which it did, otherwise it would have probably burned all the way through here flat to the ground," explained Rowland.

Like most, Rowland is hoping for a boost from Mother Nature. But if the white stuff doesn't fall, Ski Apache workers are ready to make it themselves.

"Our snow-making crew is ready, and we should be ready to start making snow this weekend as well," said Rowland.   

Ski Apache needs 32 degree weather or below, and calm conditions in order to start making snow this weekend. They are still planning to open for business on Thanksgiving.